Celebrating Life: Memories of Madi

If you follow The Daily Corgi at the facebook page, you know this week in our Corgi community has seen more than it’s share of losses. Corgis “earning their wings”, final goodbyes, facing what seems impossible — and doing it together. Proving that collective compassion and witness to sorrow — even in “cyberspace” — is tangible, powerful, and most of all making a difference.

I am grateful, and frankly in some awe, for everybody who has stepped on behalf of complete strangers. The support grows with every fresh goodbye. Our love is bigger than loss. Dare I say it — we are brave? You all are brave. In a world where the individual is celebrated, even glorified, the power of a village remains vital. Plainly put, we need one another. Maybe now more than ever.

Yesterday morning, I received a message from Marc Z. He wrote that he was planning his last full day with his beloved Madi. After nearly 15 years, he was facing the inevitable. Today he sends Madi to her rest.

Within the last hour, he’s written to tell me how he and his family are spending their breakfast time around the table, talking about all the good times. About the memories Madi made for them, with them. No doubt there are smiles. And tears. And more smiles. Because when all is said and done, when all the options are exhausted, when our dogs are called home by the inevitable fact of mortality, what will linger after the pain is the smiles on their faces. The smiles they brought to ours. The laughter. The certain knowledge that they changed our lives for the better. Vouchsafed forever in our souls, what they gave us simply by being themselves. LOVE. No other word for it.

We are the lucky ones, aren’t we? We who love these animals, we are the lucky ones. They make us brave.

About Laurie Eno

Comments

Well said, well said.We can all take comfort from each other at these times, the online communities I take part in are some of the deepest and most inspiring groups regardless of how close we are in physicality, in spirit we are all very close indeed xx

This is now the 2nd day in a row where I'm eating my lunch with tears in my eyes. First Denby's couragous fight and now Madi. To Madi's family: enjoy all those wonderful memories. Madi will be waiting for you with that wonderful corgi smile.

Part of loving is losing, but they are never really gone, little pieces of them are with us forever, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I am better because I have been loved by my dog and because I have loved a dog.

And I know for sure that those dogs that have gone before me will be there waiting when I get there.

Prayers for Madi's family, they are special folks because they love her.